The Mercenary Mediterranean_ Sovereignty, Religion, and Violence in the Medieval Crown of Aragon - Hussein Fancy

the worst men in the world 139

treasonous collaboration.^120 Nevertheless, al- ‘Abbās remained a staunch

enemy of the Crown of Aragon and the subject of anxious royal corre-

spondence for years to come.^121 In 1309 , during the crusade against Alme-

ría, the Marīnid prince and his soldiers fought valiantly and repelled the

Aragonese and Castilian armies from Granadan lands.^122 One of the worst

men in the world, a seemingly faithless mercenary, had become a new al-

Azraq and a champion of Islam.

Coda

Al- ‘Abbās’ story did not end there. The fortunes of the Banū Raḥḥū in

Granada were about to change. When in 1314 Ismā‘īl I seized the Naṣrid

throne with support of the Banū Abī al- ‘Ulā, the deposed sultan, Naṣr,

fled to Guadix in the company of his protector, the Ghuzāh commander

Ḥammū b. ‘Abd al- Ḥaqq b. Raḥḥū.^123 During battles in which Ghuzāh

soldiers loyal to Ismā‘īl fought Ghuzāh soldiers loyal to Naṣr, Ḥammū

was captured and brought to Granada as a prisoner. At the Granadan

court, Ibn Khaldūn reported, Ḥammū’s uncle, none other than al- ‘Abbās

b. Raḥḥū, pleaded for clemency for his nephew.^124 Ismā‘īl begrudgingly

agreed, and Ḥammū immediately fled to the safety of Christian terri-

tory.^125 For his part, Ibn Khaldūn said nothing more about al- ‘Abbās. Our

villain or hero, depending on your perspective, disappeared from the Ara-

bic record. But Romance letters lying in the Archive of the Crown of Ara-

gon reveal that his history held one more chapter. In March 1317 , Naṣr

wrote the procurator of Valencia, indicating his willingness to send troops

to support Jaume’s war against Ismā‘īl.^126 And indeed, a month later, de-

spite having invaded the lands of the Aragonese king a few years earlier,

despite the deep mistrust they had for each other, al- ‘Abbās sent a mes-

senger with a letter to King Jaume II offering his service once again. “Be-

loved al- ‘Abbās,” Jaume responded, “we are ready and willing to have you

in our service and prepared to offer you every honor that you deserve.”^127

The curious collaboration of the Aragonese kings with the Muslim jenets

continued.